HomeGoods is my hands-down favorite place to shop. I never know what I’m going to find when I walk through the door but often enough it’s something amazing that keeps me coming back for more. And while I’m sure that many of you share my HomeGoods love, I’m also sure that some of you feel like you never find anything good at HomeGoods. While bad shopping mojo may be partly to blame, it might also be that you’re just not shopping HomeGoods “right”. What’s the right way to shop HomeGoods? I’ve put together some tips that will turn you into a HomeGoods power shopper in no time:
Take Your Blinders Off
Being focused is usually a good thing but not when shopping HomeGoods. If you go on a mission to find one very specific thing, be prepared to leave disappointed. While walking to the back of the store to look for the 30″ round distressed white mirror you want for over your fireplace, you might have just walked by the perfect lamp for your empty entry table but unfortunately you had blinders on and didn’t see it. Most of my favorite HomeGoods buys were unplanned ones. Like the beautiful wood bowl I’ve been using as a dining room centerpiece – I went to HomeGoods looking for spring pillows but shopped the whole store and came across this gorgeous wood bowl in the kitchen section. I brought it home not knowing exactly how I’d use but when I started decorating my dining room for summer, it fit right in:
Update! I’ve had so many people ask about this bowl after seeing it in my house and I finally tracked it down!! I’ve linked my sources and inspiration images for using it in your home {here}.
Shop on the Best Days
While you may luck into an awesome HomeGoods find any day of the week, I’ve found that the best days to shop HomeGoods are definitely weekdays. On the weekends, stores are often packed and can get a bit picked-over with no new shipments coming in. From what I’ve seen, the bulk of the restocking takes place during the quietest store times which tend to be weekday evenings so it makes sense that I’ve had my best success shopping HomeGoods on Tuesday through Friday mornings.
Shop the “Good” HomeGoods Stores
It’s true that not all HomeGoods are created equal. Some just consistently have better stuff than others. So if you have several HomeGoods stores within easy driving distance, don’t always just go to the one closest to you. Visit them all a few times and it will soon become clear which ones are better than the others. Can you believe that I have 19 HomeGoods stores within a 30 mile radius of where I live? I rarely go to the two closest to me because I almost always strike out at them – a few more minutes of driving is worth it to get to one of the “good” ones.
Look Outside of the Art Section for the Best Art
In the years I’ve shopped HomeGoods, I can only think of two pieces of art I’ve bought in the art section. I simply don’t have much luck there. But I’ve found several great pieces in other parts of the store. For example, our gallery wall has a lion head door knocker that I found in the accessories aisle and a tree slice that I found in the breadboard aisle:
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Buy Now, Decide Later
If you find something at HomeGoods that might work in your home but you’re not 100% sure about it, don’t even think about leaving it on the shelf! Merchandise moves fast and your it-might-work find that you see on Monday probably won’t be there when you go back for it on Tuesday. HomeGoods has a good return policy so it’s always safest to buy it, try it out in your home, and return it if it doesn’t work.
Get a Little Creative
Can’t find a tablecloth in the colors you’re looking for? Check out the drapery aisle for washable cotton drapery panels that can work just as well. No luck finding a pillow that matches the colors in your room? See if you can find some pretty fabric napkins that can be sewn into your pillow or even a flat rug or table runner, which is what I used to make the large end pillows on the couch in the family room in our old house:
I hope my tips help you guys score some great finds on your next HomeGoods trip! And for those of you who were already HomeGoods power shoppers, do you any other tips to add to the list?
Be sure and visit Driven by Decor’s “Shop” page {here} to check out my favorite stylish home and fashion finds!
